Exploring Children's Health in Mysore India
The impact of HIV and malnutrition
3.1 million children die annually due to hunger. In 2011, 45% of deaths in children under five were due to lack of nutrition (Lancet, 2013). In 2016, 120,000 children died due to HIV/AIDs (Avert, 2018). Both of these topics, together have huge impacts on child health in low income countries. In many of these cases, families did not have the resources their child needed, this can be due to expenses or not having the resources available in the area. The importance in researching these topics in India cannot be stressed enough. Families need to be educated and given access to HIV testing and HIV medications. Families also need to have access to good quality food in order for their children to be given the nutrients needed for healthy development. I plan to study children’s health in India with these topics in mind, in hopes to find more information and a way to bring resources for those in need.
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According to Sangya Tripathi (2016), the first six years of a child’s life are the most crucial, the foundation for social and emotional language, physical development, and learning skills are developed during this time (p. 74). With 29.4% of children being underweight in India in 2013, malnourishment can have huge effects on these children’s development. “Malnutrition is characterized as a pathological condition resulting from lack of energy and proteins in different proportions” (Kumar, 2018).The primary contributors to child malnutrition are poverty, rural residence, and family size (Raj, 2015). Due to low income, many families in India cannot afford nutritious food or afford enough to feed their entire family. Other things such as clothing, cell phones, and entertainment may also be set at a higher priority than food quality, leaving children without the nutrients needed (Tripathi, 2016). Living in rural areas can also be a problem considering many families do not have access to certain resources or nutritious food. Family size has great effects on child malnutrition, many mothers are so focused on caring for their children that they neglect caring for themselves, this can cause a lack of nutrition within the fetus and causes problems before the child is even born. In many south Asian countries, such as India, boys are favored more than girls (Raj, 2015). This creates a vulnerability for girls, who have a chance of being given less food than their other siblings, putting them at a greater risk for malnutrition.
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Having a lack of nutrition as a child can have many affects. In a research study done by Raj, McDougal, and Silverman (2015), it was found that “children living in India consistently demonstrated the highest rates of wasting, stunting, and underweight” (p.220) more than any other South Asian country. 19.8% of children under five in India were found to have modern to severe wasting, 48% of children were found to have moderate to severe stunting, and 42% of children were found to be moderately to severely
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underweight. That is almost half of the sample study being stunted or underweight (p. 119). With the sample for that study being 41,265, that equates to 19,807 children being stunted and 17,331 being underweight. There are other affects with malnutrition, skin and hair color changes are common, hair texture becomes dry and brittle and the skin looks aged with hyperpigmentation (Tripathi, 2016). Infections and diseases are also very common, due to weakened immune systems. This is the main cause of death, children are unable to fight diseases, such as respiratory and skin infections. “An estimate of 70% of all deaths of children (aged 0-4) worldwide are due to diarrheal illness, acute respiratory infection, malaria, and immunizable diseases” (Pelletier, 1995). While infections and diseases are more the cause of death, malnutrition is the influence. Overall, child malnutrition is a problem when it comes to children’s health around the world, especially in developing countries such as India. Hopefully through researching child health and malnutrition in India I will find ways to make resources more available for families.
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HIV is another global health struggle that countries have been dealing with for years. HIV is in fact one of the main causes for child malnutrition in India, many children who are diagnosed with HIV are also at risk for developing anemia. In a study done by Anita Shet (2009), 248 HIV-infected children, ages 1-12, from Southern India were tested for anemia. 66% were found to have anemia and 8% were found to have severe anemia. Rural areas were also found to be more associated with the presence of anemia, HIV- infected children located in these areas were 12 times more likely to have anemia. Anemia is associated with poor growth, adding to the stunting, wasting, and underweight effects of HIV and malnutrition. One of the more pronounced ways HIV is transmitted is from mother to child. HIV can be transmitted through pregnancy, labor, or breastfeeding, “in populations where breast feeding is the norm, it accounts for more than one – third of all transmission” (Bashiru, 2015). This adds to a child’s risk of developing HIV in countries like India.
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With large amounts of children being exposed to HIV, it was found that in the 21 highest burden countries, one of those being India, that “only 54% of children exposed to HIV were tested within the recommended two months” (avert.org). Much of this is due to families not having access to these tests. In rural areas in India, many families have to walk several miles for their child to get tested and have to pay with money they may not have. It was also found that “24% of pregnant women living with HIV did not have access to ARV to prevent transmission to their infants.” ARV’s or antiretroviral medicines are crucial for limiting the transmission of HIV from mother to child. This brings to light the need for education on HIV. Families in developing countries, such as India, need to be education on the monitoring of HIV/AIDS, they also need to be given the testing, treatment, and monitoring resources that currently don’t have access to.
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Malnutrition and HIV go hand in hand, having a huge effect on children’s health, especially in developing countries, such as India. Making it an important research topic to study during the 2018 Global Health Study Abroad. I wish to study the effects of malnutrition and HIV on children in India and to explore ways of treatment and how to give rural, regions in India access to those treatments. I am also curious on seeing how families deal with HIV and malnutrition, what is considered normal in their society and is it different than the US.
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Sorces:
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Too Many Children Dying of Malnutrition. (June 6, 2013). The Lancet Medical Journal.Retrieved from https://www.unicefusa.org/press/releases/unicef-too-many-children-dying-malnutrition/8259.
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(May 17, 2017). Children, HIV and AIDS. Avert.org. Retrieved from https://www.avert.org/professionals/hiv-social-issues/key-affected-populations/children.
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Tripathi, S., (2016). Child Malnutrition in India: Causes and Intervention Programmes. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Approach & Studies, 3. Retrieved from https://login.proxy.lib.fsu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=115185425&site=eds-live.
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Kumar, S., Kawalia, S., Thitame, S. N., Somasundram, K. V. (2018). Malnutrition among under-five tribal children with special focus on dietary intake in Akole block of Western Ghat, Maharashtra India.International Journal of Medical Science and Public Health. Retrieved from https://login.proxy.lib.fsu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsgao&AN=edsgcl.534365467&site=eds-live
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Raj, A., McDougal, L., Silverman, J. (2015). Gendered Effects of Siblings on Child Malnutrition in South Asia: Cross-sectional Analysis of Demographic and Health Surveys from Bangladesh India, and Nepal. Maternal & Child Health Journal,19. Retrieved from https://login.proxy.lib.fsu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rzh&AN=103869719&site=eds-live
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Pelletier, D. L., Frongillo Jr, E. A., Schroeder, D. G., Habicht, J. P. (1995). The Effects of Malnutrition on Child Mortality in Developing Countries. Bulletin of the World Health Organization,73.Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2486780/?page=1
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Shet, A., Mahta, S., Rajagopalan, N., Dinakar, C., Ramesh, E., Samuel, N. M., Indumathi, C. K., Fawzi, W. W., Kurpad, A. V. (2009).Anemia and growth failure among HIV-infected children in India: a retrospective analysis. BioMed Central Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2431-9-37
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Bashiru, K. A., Fasoranbaku, A. O., Olukayode, A., Ojurongbe, T. A. (2017). Stability Analysis of Mother-to-child Transmission of HIV/AIDS Dynamic Model with Treatment. Annals Computer Science Series,15.Retrieved from https://login.proxy.lib.fsu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aci&AN=127544519&site=eds-live
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Hassan, A. (2017). Food Security and Child Malnutrition: the Impact on Health, Growth, and well-being. Retrieved from https://login.proxy.lib.fsu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cat05720a&AN=fsu.PDA002024370&site=eds-live%20http://login.proxy.lib.fsu.edu/login?url=http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/fsu/detail.action?docID=4766680.